This week's survey: What is your favourite phase of software development?
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It has been noted that there is no radio button for "Documentation" on the list for the favourite phase of software development survey. (This weeks.) Most hate it anyway and some would argue that it isn't development period. Personally I like it. It is not as enjoyable as the challenging bits, but; 1. Documentation means that you have finished the product. (Hopefully on time and within buget.) 2. It is still fresh in your head.(Therefore Easy to do without annoying errors and ennoying look ups.) 3. It is easy, boring, relaxing after all the hard yakka and not demanding in anyway at all. 4. It helps you later when changes have to be made. (Speeds up review and familarisation.) 5. Looks pretty in the app and hopefully limits support queries. 6. Lets you say check the help and the documentation, it is all explained there. Sometimes I am as pleased with the documentation as I am with the code. It is part of the whole process to me. When other people do the documntation, it is often lacking or just incorrect. I know that I am going to be flamed for this post, but I am also coming from a lone wolf perspective. I like the manuals to be integrated into the application. I am not as good at within code comments though and always regret this. Documentation is great because it is the end, the finalisation of an extensive effort. I now often augment the documentation with short videos. Documentation isn't my favourite part of development, but it comes close to it. My most hated part of development is repartition. Comments please....
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
grralph1 wrote:
1. Documentation means that you have finished the product. (Hopefully on time and within buget.)
Absolute codswallop, balderdash and piffle. Documentation should be written before, during and after the software. It's as much part of the software development as the actual source code, and should not be relegated to the post build phase of the project.
I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier -
It has been noted that there is no radio button for "Documentation" on the list for the favourite phase of software development survey. (This weeks.) Most hate it anyway and some would argue that it isn't development period. Personally I like it. It is not as enjoyable as the challenging bits, but; 1. Documentation means that you have finished the product. (Hopefully on time and within buget.) 2. It is still fresh in your head.(Therefore Easy to do without annoying errors and ennoying look ups.) 3. It is easy, boring, relaxing after all the hard yakka and not demanding in anyway at all. 4. It helps you later when changes have to be made. (Speeds up review and familarisation.) 5. Looks pretty in the app and hopefully limits support queries. 6. Lets you say check the help and the documentation, it is all explained there. Sometimes I am as pleased with the documentation as I am with the code. It is part of the whole process to me. When other people do the documntation, it is often lacking or just incorrect. I know that I am going to be flamed for this post, but I am also coming from a lone wolf perspective. I like the manuals to be integrated into the application. I am not as good at within code comments though and always regret this. Documentation is great because it is the end, the finalisation of an extensive effort. I now often augment the documentation with short videos. Documentation isn't my favourite part of development, but it comes close to it. My most hated part of development is repartition. Comments please....
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
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grralph1 wrote:
1. Documentation means that you have finished the product. (Hopefully on time and within buget.)
Absolute codswallop, balderdash and piffle. Documentation should be written before, during and after the software. It's as much part of the software development as the actual source code, and should not be relegated to the post build phase of the project.
I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easierOh yeh! Next you're going to be saying we should know what the software is going to do before we write it.
Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol
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If only there was a place to discuss the survey...
Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol
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It has been noted that there is no radio button for "Documentation" on the list for the favourite phase of software development survey. (This weeks.) Most hate it anyway and some would argue that it isn't development period. Personally I like it. It is not as enjoyable as the challenging bits, but; 1. Documentation means that you have finished the product. (Hopefully on time and within buget.) 2. It is still fresh in your head.(Therefore Easy to do without annoying errors and ennoying look ups.) 3. It is easy, boring, relaxing after all the hard yakka and not demanding in anyway at all. 4. It helps you later when changes have to be made. (Speeds up review and familarisation.) 5. Looks pretty in the app and hopefully limits support queries. 6. Lets you say check the help and the documentation, it is all explained there. Sometimes I am as pleased with the documentation as I am with the code. It is part of the whole process to me. When other people do the documntation, it is often lacking or just incorrect. I know that I am going to be flamed for this post, but I am also coming from a lone wolf perspective. I like the manuals to be integrated into the application. I am not as good at within code comments though and always regret this. Documentation is great because it is the end, the finalisation of an extensive effort. I now often augment the documentation with short videos. Documentation isn't my favourite part of development, but it comes close to it. My most hated part of development is repartition. Comments please....
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
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Oh yeh! Next you're going to be saying we should know what the software is going to do before we write it.
Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol
Now that's just silly talk.
I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier -
I don't hate documentation, but there are different types of documentation throughout a project from start to finish. Personally, if I read your post, I wonder how detailed your documentation is. If I create user manuals I spend most of my time creating the situation for the correct screenshot only to hear the client doesn't like the value of the field you filled in for reason X or Y making you do it all over again. Creating test documents or project reports isn't always fun and games either. The best one is perhaps the technical documentation during design time, letting you play with small prototypes and proof of concepts which you then have to document :-). As you say, it's a nice change for a while, but I do feel you're missing the total view of "documentation". Just my two cents.
Liked your two cents V. You are correct in that I am missing the total view of documentation. Being a lone wolf and not working in a big team, means that I miss most of the tedious stuff. For me the documentation is the end game. On a lot of projects my documentation (Manuals) are then re-written and published by the Government Departments that commission the work. Sometimes these are better than mine and I ask them to send me the PDFs and then I can incorporate them into the app. They are good because they are proffessional technical writers who are using an accurate source. Yeah I hate some parts of documentation like all of us. Manuals and Help I do like.
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
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Liked your two cents V. You are correct in that I am missing the total view of documentation. Being a lone wolf and not working in a big team, means that I miss most of the tedious stuff. For me the documentation is the end game. On a lot of projects my documentation (Manuals) are then re-written and published by the Government Departments that commission the work. Sometimes these are better than mine and I ask them to send me the PDFs and then I can incorporate them into the app. They are good because they are proffessional technical writers who are using an accurate source. Yeah I hate some parts of documentation like all of us. Manuals and Help I do like.
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
no worries, more often than not docs are done at the end (or not at all), no matter what people claim here. :-)
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I don't know Tony 'The Frosties" Tiger at all. My Lastname (Surname) is Ralph. The prefix for my username is the initials of my first two (Christian) names. Pray tell me the origin of your username PB 369,782
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
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grralph1 wrote:
When other people do the documntation anything, it is often lacking or just incorrect.
Seriously, I often feel like I should just do everything myself.
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I don't know Tony 'The Frosties" Tiger at all. My Lastname (Surname) is Ralph. The prefix for my username is the initials of my first two (Christian) names. Pray tell me the origin of your username PB 369,782
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
The first part is Pompey Boy - he changes his username fairly regularly but there's always a common thread (either PB or some variation of Boy in there).
I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier -
It has been noted that there is no radio button for "Documentation" on the list for the favourite phase of software development survey. (This weeks.) Most hate it anyway and some would argue that it isn't development period. Personally I like it. It is not as enjoyable as the challenging bits, but; 1. Documentation means that you have finished the product. (Hopefully on time and within buget.) 2. It is still fresh in your head.(Therefore Easy to do without annoying errors and ennoying look ups.) 3. It is easy, boring, relaxing after all the hard yakka and not demanding in anyway at all. 4. It helps you later when changes have to be made. (Speeds up review and familarisation.) 5. Looks pretty in the app and hopefully limits support queries. 6. Lets you say check the help and the documentation, it is all explained there. Sometimes I am as pleased with the documentation as I am with the code. It is part of the whole process to me. When other people do the documntation, it is often lacking or just incorrect. I know that I am going to be flamed for this post, but I am also coming from a lone wolf perspective. I like the manuals to be integrated into the application. I am not as good at within code comments though and always regret this. Documentation is great because it is the end, the finalisation of an extensive effort. I now often augment the documentation with short videos. Documentation isn't my favourite part of development, but it comes close to it. My most hated part of development is repartition. Comments please....
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
Personally I think they ought to have a favorite Frank Zappa quote survey mine would be; Stupidity is the basic building block of the universe. But they that's just me. Ain't got any idea why Frank Zappa came to mind?
VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.1 ToDo Manager Extension Some days, it's just not worth chewing through the restraints.
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I don't know Tony 'The Frosties" Tiger at all. My Lastname (Surname) is Ralph. The prefix for my username is the initials of my first two (Christian) names. Pray tell me the origin of your username PB 369,782
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
I use to be P0mpeyboy3 or PB3 for short. Now I use temp e-mail to sign-up which means I forget my e-mail everytime I reset my machine which has led me to have a succession of different usernames. To make it easier for the rest of you to identify me and as a nod to the amount of accounts I now have had in the past I used the random number at the end. The plan is when I change again I can just change the number and the rest of you will still no who I am.
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I use to be P0mpeyboy3 or PB3 for short. Now I use temp e-mail to sign-up which means I forget my e-mail everytime I reset my machine which has led me to have a succession of different usernames. To make it easier for the rest of you to identify me and as a nod to the amount of accounts I now have had in the past I used the random number at the end. The plan is when I change again I can just change the number and the rest of you will still no who I am.
... and we'll know the difference between know, now and no.
Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol
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grralph1 wrote:
1. Documentation means that you have finished the product. (Hopefully on time and within buget.)
Absolute codswallop, balderdash and piffle. Documentation should be written before, during and after the software. It's as much part of the software development as the actual source code, and should not be relegated to the post build phase of the project.
I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier:thumbsup: If you don't document as you go along, you won't go back and do it (most of the time you aren't given any time to go back and do documentation once the product is out).
The universe is composed of electrons, neutrons, protons and......morons. (ThePhantomUpvoter)
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... and we'll know the difference between know, now and no.
Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol
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I'm having a bad day. I've just sent an e-mail where I spelt 'fault' as 'thought'. Who was it that said spelling mistakes are allowed after Lunch?
PB 369,782 wrote:
Who was it that said spelling mistakes are allowed after Lunch?
Some drunk with a Hungarian name ;P
Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol
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It has been noted that there is no radio button for "Documentation" on the list for the favourite phase of software development survey. (This weeks.) Most hate it anyway and some would argue that it isn't development period. Personally I like it. It is not as enjoyable as the challenging bits, but; 1. Documentation means that you have finished the product. (Hopefully on time and within buget.) 2. It is still fresh in your head.(Therefore Easy to do without annoying errors and ennoying look ups.) 3. It is easy, boring, relaxing after all the hard yakka and not demanding in anyway at all. 4. It helps you later when changes have to be made. (Speeds up review and familarisation.) 5. Looks pretty in the app and hopefully limits support queries. 6. Lets you say check the help and the documentation, it is all explained there. Sometimes I am as pleased with the documentation as I am with the code. It is part of the whole process to me. When other people do the documntation, it is often lacking or just incorrect. I know that I am going to be flamed for this post, but I am also coming from a lone wolf perspective. I like the manuals to be integrated into the application. I am not as good at within code comments though and always regret this. Documentation is great because it is the end, the finalisation of an extensive effort. I now often augment the documentation with short videos. Documentation isn't my favourite part of development, but it comes close to it. My most hated part of development is repartition. Comments please....
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
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grralph1 wrote:
1. Documentation means that you have finished the product. (Hopefully on time and within buget.)
Absolute codswallop, balderdash and piffle. Documentation should be written before, during and after the software. It's as much part of the software development as the actual source code, and should not be relegated to the post build phase of the project.
I was brought up to respect my elders. I don't respect many people nowadays.
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easierNak Pete Love the word piffle especially though. I do flow diagrams and and quizicle documents "before" to get feedback about what they actually want. I don't consider this documentation, although it may be included in it at the end. Whenever I do stuff "during" I always regret it as it usually has to be changed or more often completely redone at the end. Working alone means that I only have to note things for myself and this is not really documentation. You are probably correct when working in a team environment. For me it is always done at the completion of the project. The Help, the user manual and the engineer manual. I have done this "during" in the past and it has always caused me grief because, change is the way we make it better. ....and like Nagy said, "Oh yeh! Next you're going to be saying we should know what the software is going to do before we write it. ". When I have worked with big teams, my stuff was still ophaned off under contract so that the situation was the same.
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
